1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an improved reinforcement structure for cavity walls, and, more particularly, to combined wall anchors and reinforcement trusses or ladders that utilize true-joints to fuse together the components under high heat and high pressure. The resultant anchoring systems meet high flatness requirements facilitating the formation of uniform mortar bed joints. This avoids stackup tolerances and reduces the cutting of blocks to fit within the height requirements. The flatness of the combined wall reinforcement and wall anchor enables the mason to more easily maintain the verticality of the wall.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Recently, special attention has been drawn to products that not only improve a mason's productivity, but also aid in straighter joint lines and ultimately better looking buildings. Among these products are cavity wall anchoring systems that tie together backup walls and facing veneers. While the backup walls or inner wythes may be masonry blocks, dry wall construction or poured concrete, this invention provides several examples of true jointed wall reinforcements and wall anchors for use with masonry black backup walls.
To date, numerous anchoring devices for insertion in bed joints of the backup walls have been marketed. In the main, each of these devices have a portion thereof or a separate interengaging component that is inserted in a corresponding bed joint of the facing veneer. Backup walls of masonry blocks also have a requirement that joint reinforcement be used. Standards in the construction industry have evolved to include a masonry joint reinforcement standard, namely, ASTM Standard Specification A951-00 which describes joint reinforcement fabricated from cold drawn steel wire. As the production of better looking buildings requires uniformity in laying up the inner and the outer wythe, the competition for bed joint space between reinforcement materials and anchoring devices needs to be resolved in a manner satisfactory to the mason.
Over the past forty years there has been growing acceptance of wire formatives not only for wall reinforcements, but also for wall anchors and veneer anchors. It has become increasingly common to look toward a 0.375-inch high bed joint in both the inner wythe and the outer wythe. To maintain uniform joints, masons look toward mortar coverage above the reinforcement and wall anchor combination so that successive blocks are supported by the mortar layer and not by the wire formative. This enables the mason to adjust the placement of the block to maintain uniformity.
In the past, the use of wire formatives have been limited by the mortar layer thicknesses which, in turn are dictated either by the new building specifications or by pre-existing conditions, e.g. matching during renovations or additions the existing mortar layer thickness. While arguments have been made for increasing the number of the fine-wire anchors per unit area of the facing layer, architects and architectural engineers have favored wire formative anchors of sturdier wire. On the other hand, contractors find that heavy wire anchors, with diameters approaching the mortar layer height specification, frequently result in misalignment. Thus, these contractors look towards substituting thinner gage wire formatives which result in easier alignment of courses of block.
In the past, there have been investigations relating to the effects of various forces, particularly lateral forces, upon brick veneer construction having wire formative anchors embedded in the mortar joint of anchored veneer walls. The seismic aspect of these investigations were referenced in the first-named inventor's prior patents, namely, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,875,319 and 5,408,798. Besides earthquake protection, the failure of several high-rise buildings to withstand wind and other lateral forces has resulted in the incorporation of a requirement for continuous wire reinforcement in the Uniform Building Code provisions. The first-named inventor's related SeismiclipR and DW-10-XR products (manufactured by Hohmann & Barnard, Inc., Hauppauge, N.Y. 11788) have become widely accepted in the industry. The use of a wire formative anchors in masonry veneer walls has also demonstrated protectiveness against problems arising from thermal expansion and contraction and has improved the uniformity of the distribution of lateral forces in a structure. However, these investigations do not address the mortar layer thickness vs. the wire diameter of the wire formative or technical problems arising therefrom.
In the course of preparing this disclosure several patents became known to the inventors hereof. The following patents are believed to be relevant and are discussed further as to the significance thereof:
PatentInventorIssue Date3,377,764StorchApr. 16, 19684,021,990SchwalbergMay 10, 19774,373,314AllanFeb. 15, 19834,473,984LopezOct. 02, 19844,869,038CataniSep. 26, 19894,875,319HohmannOct. 24, 19895,392,581Hatzinikolas et al.Feb. 28, 19955,408,798HohmannApr. 25, 19955,454,200HohmannOct. 03, 19955,456,052Anderson et al.Oct. 10, 19955,816,008HohmannOct. 15, 19986,209,281RiceApr. 03, 20016,279,283Hohmann et al.Aug. 28, 2001
It is noted that with some exceptions these devices are generally descriptive of wire-to-wire anchors and wall ties and have various cooperative functional relationships with straight wire runs embedded in the interior and/or exterior wythe. Several of the prior art items are of the pintle and eyelet/loop variety.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,377,764—D. Storch—Issued Apr. 16, 1968
Discloses a bent wire, tie-type anchor for embedment in a facing exterior wythe engaging with a loop attached to a straight wire run in a backup interior wythe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,990—B. J. Schwalberg—Issued May 10, 1977
Discloses a dry wall construction system for anchoring a facing veneer to wallboard/metal stud construction with a pronged sheet-metal anchor. Like Storch '764, the wall tie is embedded in the exterior wythe and is not attached to a straight wire run.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,373,314—J. A. Allan—Issued Feb. 15, 1983
Discloses a vertical angle iron with one leg adapted for attachment to a stud; and the other having elongated slots to accommodate wall ties. Insulation is applied between projecting vertical legs of adjacent angle irons with slots being spaced away from the stud to, avoid the insulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4.473,984—Lopez—Issued Oct. 2, 1984
Discloses a curtain-wall masonry anchor system wherein a wall tie is attached to the inner wythe by a self-tapping screw to a metal stud and to the outer wythe by embedment in a corresponding bed joint. The stud is applied through a hole cut into the insulation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,869,038—M. J. Catani—Issued 091/26/89
Discloses a veneer wall anchor system having in the interior wythe a truss-type anchor, similar to Hala et al. '226, supra, but with horizontal sheetmetal extensions. The extensions are interlocked with bent wire pintle-type wall ties that are embedded within the exterior wythe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,879,319—R. Hohmann—Issued Oct. 24, 1989
Discloses a seismic construction system for anchoring a facing veneer to wallboard/metal stud construction with a pronged sheet-metal anchor. Wall tie is distinguished over that of Schwalberg '990 and is clipped onto a straight wire run.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,392,581—Hatzinikolas et al.—Issued Feb. 28, 1995
Discloses a cavity-wall anchor having a conventional tie wire for mounting in the brick veneer and an L-shaped sheetmetal bracket for mounting vertically between side-by-side blocks and horizontally on atop a course of blocks. The bracket has a slit which is vertically disposed and protrudes into the cavity. The slit provides for a vertically adjustable anchor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,408,798—Hohmann—Issued Apr. 25, 1995 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,200—Issued Oct. 3, 1995
Discloses a seismic construction system for a cavity wall having a masonry anchor, a wall tie, and a facing anchor. Sealed eye wires extend into the cavity and wire wall ties are threaded therethrough with the open ends thereof embedded with a Hohmann '319 (see supra) clip in the mortar layer of the brick veneer. The Hohmann '200 patent is noted for the positive interengagement of the veneer anchor with the insertion end thereof sealed in the bed joint of the outer wythe.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,456,052—Anderson et al.—Issued Oct. 10, 1995
Discloses a two-part masonry brick tie, the first part being designed to be installed in the inner wythe and then, later when the brick veneer is erected to be interconnected by the second part. Both parts are constructed from sheetmetal and are arranged on substantially the same horizontal plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,816,008—Hohmann—Issued Oct. 15, 1998
Discloses a brick veneer anchor primarily for use with a cavity wall with a drywall inner wythe. The device combines an L-shaped plate for mounting on the metal stud of the drywall and extending into the cavity with a T-head bent stay. After interengagement with the L-shaped plate the free end of the bent stay is embedded in the corresponding bed joint of the veneer.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,281—Rice—Issued Apr. 3, 2001
Discloses a masonry anchor having a conventional tie wire for mounting in the brick veneer and sheetmetal bracket for mounting on the metal-stud-supported drywall. The bracket has a slit which is vertically disposed when the bracket is mounted on the metal stud and, in application, protrudes through the drywall into the cavity. The slit provides for a vertically adjustable anchor.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,283—Hohmann et al.—Issued Aug. 28, 2601
Discloses a low-profile wall tie primarily for use in renovation construction where in order to match existing mortar height in the facing wythe a compressed wall tie is embedded in the bed joint of the brick veneer.
None of the above provide the masonry cavity wall construction system for an inner masonry wythe and an outer facing wythe with high-span anchoring wire formatives as described hereinbelow.